The Somerset-Pulaski County Airport Board.
Lake Cumberland Regional Airport is owned jointly by the City of Somerset and Pulaski County and run by a six-member board that also operates the FBO and sells the fuel. The members, the meetings, the audited money and the grants that built the field are below.
Six members, appointed by the city and the county together.
The board was established in 1948 under KRS 183.132. The Mayor of Somerset and the Pulaski County Judge/Executive appoint its members jointly for four-year terms. It levies no tax, it reports as a component unit of the Pulaski County Fiscal Court, and there is no third-party FBO: the board's own staff fuel the aircraft.
The board
Somerset-Pulaski County Airport Board · roster as the airport publishes it
- Richard VanhookChairman
- Dr. Carey CastleVice Chairman · Chancellor, Somerset Community College
- Shawn DaughertyTreasurer
- David BrittBoard Member
- David MorrisBoard Member
- Steven LeeBoard Member
Being confirmed with the airport. The roster follows the airport's own page, flylcra.com, read 8 Nov 2026. The City of Somerset's boards page still lists a different sixth member and the federal audit spells the treasurer's name differently; terms and dates of appointment are not published.
How it is constituted
- Established
- 1948
- Statute
- KRS 183.132
- Appointed by
- The Mayor of Somerset and the Pulaski County Judge/Executive, jointly
- Members
- Six, for four-year terms
- Taxing power
- None: a non-taxing airport board
- Reports as
- A component unit of the Pulaski County Fiscal Court
- Owner of record
- The City of Somerset and Pulaski County (FAA)
- FBO
- Operated by the board itself; no third-party FBO
- Manager
- Kellie Baker, Airport Manager
- Chief lineman
- Sam
- Operations
- Jolan, Nathan, Seth and Jacob
FY2025 audit, Note 1 (Cloyd & Associates, 4 May 2026) · KRS 183.132 · FAA NASR, owner of record · staff first names as the airport publishes them, flylcra.com, 8 Nov 2026
Second Thursday of the month, 4 p.m., open to the public.
Regular meetings are held in the Terminal Board Room at 500 W.O. Newell Drive, Somerset, KY 42501. Anyone may attend. Questions for the board go through the airport office.
Where and when
- When
- 4 p.m., second Thursday of each month, Airport Terminal Board Room
- Address
- 500 W.O. Newell Drive, Somerset, KY 42501
- Open to
- The public
- Office
- (606) 679-7908
fbo@flylcra.com
Meeting rule: cityofsomerset.com, boards and commissions
The next twelve
Thursdays, 4 p.m. Eastern · computed from the rule, not from a posted calendar
| November 2026 | Thu 12 | |
|---|---|---|
| December 2026 | Thu 10 | |
| January 2027 | Thu 14 | |
| February 2027 | Thu 11 | |
| March 2027 | Thu 11 | |
| April 2027 | Thu 8 | |
| May 2027 | Thu 13 | |
| June 2027 | Thu 10 | |
| July 2027 | Thu 8 | |
| August 2027 | Thu 12 | |
| September 2027 | Thu 9 | |
| October 2027 | Thu 14 |
Second Thursday at 4 p.m., projected twelve months ahead · the November 2027 meeting falls on Veterans Day, 11 Nov 2027, and is to be confirmed with the airport · a single date can move; the office confirms
Five years of audited numbers.
Fuel is three quarters or more of what the airport earns, and hangar rent is most of the rest. The city and the county appropriate the local share; the FAA and the state fund the capital. Every figure here is from the audited statements or the public budget that names it.
FY2021 to FY2025
fuel sales, operating revenue, local appropriation, grant income · five years across
| Fiscal year | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel sales | $308,809 | $812,602 | $1,068,134 | $1,105,250 | $965,446 |
| Operating revenue | fuel was 76 to 81 percent of it in every year; the full lines are in each year's statement | $1,265,203 | |||
| Pulaski County appropriation | $25,000 | $75,000 | $0 | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| City of Somerset appropriation | line items for these years not verified; a 2019 agreement set $125,000 from each government | $150,000 | |||
| Grant income | in each year's statement | $3,238,471 | |||
Audited statements FY2021 to FY2025 (below) · Pulaski County budgets, line 01-6201-0507; the county has budgeted $150,000 for FY2026 and FY2027 · City of Somerset FY2024-25 budget · FY2025 fuel budget $1,142,000 against $965,446 sold
FY2025
the year to 30 June 2025
| Fuel sales | $965,446 |
|---|---|
| Hangar rent | $233,039 |
| Other rent | $28,300 |
| Other income | $38,418 |
| Operating revenue | $1,265,203 |
| City and county appropriations | $250,000 |
| Grant income | $3,238,471 |
| Expenditures | $2,106,967 |
| of which depreciation, non-cash | $614,862 |
| Change in net position | +$2,617,275 |
| Net position, 30 June 2025 | $16,860,968 |
| Cash | $254,193 |
| Gross margin on fuel | $410,638 · 42.5% |
FY2025 audited financial statements, Cloyd & Associates, 4 May 2026
Assets, debt and the audit
at 30 June 2025
| Land | $3.75M |
|---|---|
| Terminal and hangars | $9.72M |
| Runway and taxiway | $11.74M |
| Equipment | $1.38M |
| Vehicles | $0.49M |
| Capital assets, at cost | $27,083,204 |
| Net of depreciation | $17,383,102 |
| T-hangar lease (2014), to 2034 | $370,000 |
| Fuel-truck loan (2020) | $62,487 |
| All loans, with hangar loans | about $217,000 |
| Pension plan | none |
Single Audit, FY2025: the airport spent $2,952,796 of federal money (Assistance Listing 20.106, airport improvement). The auditor reported one finding, repeated from earlier years: the Single Audit package was submitted late. The Federal Audit Clearinghouse accepted it on 21 May 2026. There is no state, county or private pension plan for employees.
FY2025 audit, Notes 4, 5 and 9 · T-hangar capital lease originally $610,000; fuel-truck loan originally $180,000, dated 10 Sep 2020 · Federal Audit Clearinghouse, accepted 21 May 2026
The audited statements, in full.
The board publishes each year's audit on the airport's site. Every money figure on this page comes from these five documents and the budgets they cite.
- FY2025to 30 June 2025Audited financial statements and Single AuditCloyd & Associates, report dated 4 May 2026 · Single Audit accepted by the Federal Audit Clearinghouse 21 May 2026
- FY2024to 30 June 2024Audited financial statementsFuel sales $1,105,250 · county appropriation $100,000
- FY2023to 30 June 2023Audited financial statementsFuel sales $1,068,134 · county appropriation $0
- FY2022to 30 June 2022Audited financial statementsFuel sales $812,602 · county appropriation $75,000
- FY2021to 30 June 2021Audited financial statementsFuel sales $308,809 · county appropriation $25,000 · the jet fuel truck loan of $180,000 was taken that September
The auditor is named here for FY2025, from its report; the earlier years are as the airport posts them · fuel sales from the audits FY2021 to FY2025 · appropriations from the Pulaski County budgets
$13.5 million from the FAA since 2003, and the state's share.
The runway, the terminal, the taxiway, the apron, the lighting, the AWOS and the fuel farm were all grant-funded, with the city and the county appropriating the local match. The ledgers below list every grant on the record, by year and purpose.
FAA grants, FY2014 to FY2025
Airport Improvement Program and the pandemic acts · 14 grants
| FY2014 | Obstruction removal | $145,000 |
|---|---|---|
| FY2015 | Construct building | $628,392 |
| FY2018 | Master plan and airport layout plan update | $119,500 |
| FY2019 | Snow removal equipment | $212,000 |
| FY2020 | New AWOS, with CARES Act funds | $183,667 |
| FY2020 | CARES Act | $30,000 |
| FY2021 | CRRSA Act | $13,000 |
| FY2021 | Environmental assessment | $25,000 |
| FY2022 | ARPA | $32,000 |
| FY2022 | Runway strengthening, design | $160,111 |
| FY2023 | East apron, phase 2 | $1,752,365 |
| FY2024 | Airport Infrastructure Grant (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) | $448,000 |
| FY2024 | Apron, final phases | $1,093,696 |
| FY2025 | Storage hangar, 12,000 sq ft, design | $153,900 |
| FY2014 to FY2025 | 14 grants | $4,996,631 |
FAA AIP grant histories; USAspending.gov · the FY2020 AWOS grant includes CARES Act funds · the FY2024 BIL line is an Airport Infrastructure Grant
The landmarks, FY2003 to FY2012
the runway, the terminal, the taxiway, the fuel farm
| FY2003 | Runway extension and rehabilitation (then Runway 4/22) | $1,500,000 |
|---|---|---|
| FY2004 | Terminal building | $3,500,000 |
| FY2005 | Fencing | $189,148 |
| FY2006 | Environmental work and taxiway | $2,497,518 |
| FY2007 | ARFF vehicle | $189,553 |
| FY2008–11 | Fuel farm | $520,219 |
| FY2012 | Obstruction removal | $75,000 |
| FY2003 to FY2012 | seven grant lines | $8,471,438 |
| FY2003 to FY2025 | all FAA grants | $13,468,069 |
FAA grant lists · a separate FY2005 earmark of $2.48M relocated Kit Cowan Road and is not in the AIP total (OMB earmark record)
Kentucky Department of Aviation
state projects closed 2020 to 2025, and the two open
| 2025 | Terminal apron rehabilitation, construction (closed 28 Aug 2025) | $1,706,946 |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | HB 1 appropriation | $165,151 |
| 2024 | Snow removal equipment | $235,556 |
| 2024 | T-hangar rehabilitation | $410,917 |
| 2023 | Runway overlay, design and bidding | $175,658 |
| 2023 | ADS-B | $6,000 |
| 2022 | Airfield lighting: LED relight, 332 fixtures and a new beacon | $1,200,000 |
| 2021 | Land for obstruction removal | $380,602 |
| 2021 | Airport layout plan update and AGIS | $121,239 |
| 2020 | QTPod fuel-system upgrade | $18,000 |
| 2020 to 2025 | ten closed projects | $4,420,068 |
Open, October 2026
| 24-38 | East Terminal Apron Reconstruction | construction |
|---|---|---|
| 26-11 | Storage Hangar Design | design |
KDA closed-projects ledger through Oct 2026, rounded to the dollar · KDA open-projects list, Oct 2026
Direct state grants
- 2022
- HB 241: $200,000, held for local match
- 2025
- HB 1: $200,000 for a mower, a Ventrac, public education, a heater, a scrubber, fence and gate
- 2026
- Acts ch. 142, section 22: $11.4 million statewide in equal-share general-aviation grants for FY2026-27; the airport's share is not yet published
Kentucky Department of Aviation documents · Kentucky Acts 2026
Five-year needs, 2027 to 2031
as filed with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
| 2027 | Terminal building rehabilitation (filed as "Terminal - Repairs") | $1,450,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Storage hangar construction, box hangars (state share requested: $664,825) | $1,800,000 |
| 2027 | Security system | $150,000 |
| 2028 | Fuel truck parking pad | $80,000 |
| 2029 | Utility tractor with mowing attachments | $150,000 |
| 2030 | Compass rose | $7,500 |
| Filed | six items, 2027 to 2030 | $3,637,500 |
KYTC five-year needs summary · the 2027 terminal item is a building rehabilitation, filed as "Terminal - Repairs"
What the airport is worth to the county, by two studies.
The state's 2025 brochure and the University of Kentucky's 2024 study measured the airport by different methods, so each figure carries its year and the two are never added together. The 2025 study ranked the airport first in jobs among ten Kentucky airports serving similar populations.
- 231jobs supported
- $11.8Mannual payroll
- $37.1Meconomic output
- 49based aircraft
- 72,000people within 30 minutes
Kentucky Department of Aviation, Statewide Aviation System Plan, 2025 economic impact brochure · presented to the Pulaski County Fiscal Court 28 April 2026 and to the Somerset City Council · The 2024 University of Kentucky study (CY2022 data) counted 512 jobs and $91.5 million of output under its earlier method.
Two studies, side by side
labelled by year; the methods differ
| Measure | KYTC 2025 | UK 2024 (CY2022 data) |
|---|---|---|
| Jobs | 231 | 512 |
| Payroll (2025) · personal income (2024) | $11.8M | $29.9M |
| Economic output | $37.1M | $91.5M |
| State tax | not listed | $2.6M |
| Local tax | not listed | $1.2M |
| Annual operations | 10,012 | not listed |
| Based aircraft | 49 | not listed |
| People within 30 minutes | 72,000 | not listed |
Kentucky Department of Aviation SASP 2025 brochure (PDF dated 26 Feb 2026); Commonwealth Journal 4 May 2026 · Kentucky Transportation Center report KTC-25-12, Nov 2024; Commonwealth Journal 5 Mar 2024
"Our airport is more than just a nice, state-of-the-art facility ... it's an engine that has fueled economic growth in Pulaski County."Shawn Daugherty, Treasurer of the board, 20 March 2026
The county the airport serves set a tourism record in 2025: $152.7 million of visitor spending, the fifth record in seven years, supporting 1,133 jobs and $11.1 million of state and local taxes.
Lake Cumberland Tourism, 15 June 2026
The plan to 2029, and who flies from here.
On 5 November 2026 the vice chairman and the treasurer presented the board's 2026 to 2029 strategic plan to SPEDA, the Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority. Two colleges, two air-medical operators and a flight school work from the field or next to it.
Strategic plan, 2026 to 2029
- Presented
- 5 Nov 2026, to SPEDA, by Dr. Carey Castle and Shawn Daugherty
- Public
- At least four public engagement events a year
- Field
- Grant-funded infrastructure and safety work
- FBO
- Actively soliciting a fixed-base operator for maintenance, pilot training and charter
- Based aircraft
- 49
Commonwealth Journal, 6 Nov 2026
"We believe that the airport is a really critical regional asset that serves the county and the city, but it also serves a lot of the surrounding area."Dr. Carey Castle, Vice Chairman, 6 November 2026
Tenants and partners
on the field and next to it
- Flight training Somerset Community College · Fixed Wing Pilot ProgramMadisonville Community College AAS degree hosted at SCC; ground school from 9 Feb 2026
- Maintenance training Somerset Community College · Aviation Maintenance TechnologyFacility adjacent to the airport
- Air medical PHI Air MedicalBase on the field, opened 8 June 2022
- Air medical Air MethodsListed by the airport; its KY3 base is at the Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital helipad
- Flight school Dicey Aviation LLCFlight school and scenic flights on the state's 2023 list; its website is offline and its status is being confirmed with the airport
flylcra.com · Somerset Community College · Commonwealth Journal 8 June 2022 · Kentucky Department of Aviation 2023 list
Who appoints the board
- Mayor of Somerset
- Alan Keck. A November 2026 report says William Hunt was elected mayor; the date of the hand-over is being confirmed with the City before this line changes.
- Judge-Executive
- Marshall Todd, Pulaski County
- Owner of record
- The City of Somerset and Pulaski County, jointly
pulaskigov.com · SPEDA board page · read 8 Nov 2026
Airline service, 2008 to 2010
the one time it was tried
Locair, flying as Air Azul, began Metroliner service from Somerset to Nashville on 27 December 2008, added Cincinnati on 21 May 2009 and Washington Dulles on 8 June 2009, and later Baltimore-Washington. A federal Small Community Air Service Development grant of about $1 million, with a local match, underwrote it. The service ended in February 2010.
Bids for a second grant failed in 2014 and 2015. A 2020 memorandum with London and Corbin set out to pursue Essential Air Service, and the RESTORE coalition followed in 2023. The airport has never held EAS and has no scheduled service today. In May 2026 Mayor Alan Keck said a national carrier "wanted to come" before COVID and the pilot shortage, and that "It will happen."
Commonwealth Journal 19 Sep 2009, 29 Jul 2017, 4 May 2026 · PRLog 18 Dec 2008 · Lane Report 8 Oct 2020